Fishing Forecast · Michigan · Updated October 2026

North Lake

This forecast reads North Lake's measured clarity, depth, and trophic state, with each species' biology, the sun and moon, and today's conditions, to call when the fish move on North Lake and how to catch them.

58 ft
max depth: 2
fish species: 12.5 ft
water clarity: Mesotrophic
trophic state

Today · Sat Oct 24

★★★★★

The bite on North Lake today. Sunrise 7:59 AM, sunset 6:40 PM.

Moon: Waxing Gibbous · 98%
Major windows: 10:37 PM–12:37 AM · 11:01 AM–1:01 PM

Best day · next 2 weeks

Mon Nov 2

★★★★★

Last Quarter moon (49%). Fish the major windows at 6:12 AM.

Fishing Forecast for North Lake

A multi-factor outlook built from North Lake's measured water quality — clarity, trophic state, depth, and water-body type — combined with each species' biology, seasonal patterns, and today's live weather. It flags spawn timing, where the fish hold, and the techniques that fit this lake's water, not just the moon.

Bluegill

PanfishFallFall feed-up

Good

~55°F est.

North Lake runs 12.5 ft of clarity and grades A for water quality — so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.

Because North Lake averages 12.5 ft of visibility (clear), so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 15–20 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold bluegill through the warm months.
With a max depth of 58 ft, North Lake is deep enough to stratify in summer, so coldwater fish hold near the thermocline while warmwater fish stay above it.

Techniques for clear water

tiny natural jigs, light linesmall flies & plastics

Season-by-season on North Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 1–6 ft	spawning beds in warm bays, near cover	small jigs, live worm/waxworm under a float
Summer	weed edges 5–15 ft	deeper weed edges by midsummer, docks, brush	ice-jigs tipped with plastics/live bait, small flies
Fall	mid 8–18 ft	deeper weedlines and basin edges	small jigs vertically, tiny spoons
Winter / Ice	8–20 ft	basin holes and deep weed edges	tungsten ice jigs with waxworms/plastics

Rock Bass

PanfishFallFall feed-up

Very Good

~55°F est.

North Lake runs 12.5 ft of clarity and grades A for water quality — so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.

Because North Lake averages 12.5 ft of visibility (clear), so finesse presentations and natural colors on light line tend to out-fish reaction baits.
Its mesotrophic nutrient level puts the summer weedline near 15–20 ft — that edge is the high-percentage zone to hold rock bass through the warm months.
With a max depth of 58 ft, North Lake is deep enough to stratify in summer, so coldwater fish hold near the thermocline while warmwater fish stay above it.

Techniques for clear water

small jigs & crayfish plastics

Season-by-season on North Lake

Season	Where	Structure	How
Spring	shallow 3–10 ft	rock, boulder, gravel banks	small jigs, live bait, crankbaits
Summer	mid 6–18 ft	rock structure, docks	jigs, small soft plastics
Fall	mid 6–18 ft	rock structure	jigs and live bait
Winter / Ice	10–20 ft	deeper rock	small jigs

The outlook is a transparent heuristic weighting of established angling factors, this lake's measured water quality, and live conditions — not a validated catch predictor. Water temperature is estimated from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading is available. Planning a meal? Check fish-consumption advisories for North Lake. Always follow current state regulations.

14-Day Fishing Calendar

Plan the next two weeks on North Lake. Anglers target Redear sunfish, Warmouth on North Lake.

Date	Rating	Moon	Sunrise	Sunset	Major Periods	Minor Periods
Sat, Oct 24	★½☆☆☆	Waxing Gibbous 98% lit	7:59 AM	6:40 PM	10:37 PM – 12:37 AM 11:01 AM – 1:01 PM	5:42 AM – 6:42 AM 5:07 PM – 6:07 PM
Sun, Oct 25	★★☆☆☆	Full Moon 100% lit	8:00 AM	6:39 PM	11:25 PM – 1:25 AM 11:50 AM – 1:50 PM	6:57 AM – 7:57 AM 5:33 PM – 6:33 PM
Mon, Oct 26	★★☆☆☆	Full Moon 100% lit	8:02 AM	6:37 PM	12:16 AM – 2:16 AM 12:44 PM – 2:44 PM	8:14 AM – 9:14 AM 6:04 PM – 7:04 PM
Tue, Oct 27	★½☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 97% lit	8:03 AM	6:36 PM	1:12 AM – 3:12 AM 1:42 PM – 3:42 PM	9:34 AM – 10:34 AM 6:43 PM – 7:43 PM
Wed, Oct 28	★☆☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 93% lit	8:04 AM	6:34 PM	2:12 AM – 4:12 AM 2:44 PM – 4:44 PM	10:52 AM – 11:52 AM
Thu, Oct 29	☆☆☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 87% lit	8:05 AM	6:33 PM	3:16 AM – 5:16 AM 3:48 PM – 5:48 PM	7:32 PM – 8:32 PM 12:02 PM – 1:02 PM
Fri, Oct 30	★★☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 79% lit	8:07 AM	6:32 PM	4:20 AM – 6:20 AM 4:51 PM – 6:51 PM	8:34 PM – 9:34 PM 1:01 PM – 2:01 PM
Sat, Oct 31	★★☆☆☆	Waning Gibbous 69% lit	8:08 AM	6:30 PM	5:21 AM – 7:21 AM 5:51 PM – 7:51 PM	9:45 PM – 10:45 PM 1:47 PM – 2:47 PM
Sun, Nov 1	★½☆☆☆	Last Quarter 59% lit	7:09 AM	5:29 PM	5:19 AM – 7:19 AM 5:46 PM – 7:46 PM	11:02 PM – 12:02 AM 1:23 PM – 2:23 PM
Mon, Nov 2	★★½☆☆	Last Quarter 49% lit	7:10 AM	5:28 PM	6:12 AM – 8:12 AM	11:19 PM – 12:19 AM 1:51 PM – 2:51 PM
Tue, Nov 3	★½☆☆☆	Waning Crescent 38% lit	7:11 AM	5:27 PM	6:37 PM – 8:37 PM 7:01 AM – 9:01 AM	12:33 AM – 1:33 AM 2:15 PM – 3:15 PM
Wed, Nov 4	☆☆☆☆☆	Waning Crescent 28% lit	7:13 AM	5:25 PM	7:24 PM – 9:24 PM 7:47 AM – 9:47 AM	1:45 AM – 2:45 AM 2:37 PM – 3:37 PM
Thu, Nov 5	☆☆☆☆☆	Waning Crescent 19% lit	7:14 AM	5:24 PM	8:09 PM – 10:09 PM 8:31 AM – 10:31 AM	2:54 AM – 3:54 AM 2:57 PM – 3:57 PM
Fri, Nov 6	½☆☆☆☆	Waning Crescent 12% lit	7:15 AM	5:23 PM	8:54 PM – 10:54 PM 9:16 AM – 11:16 AM	4:02 AM – 5:02 AM 3:19 PM – 4:19 PM

Server-rendered 14-day calendar starting 2026-10-24. Live in your browser shortly.

Methodology

How this forecast works

A plain solunar table only knows the moon. The LakeQuality Fishing Forecast starts there and adds what actually decides where and how fish bite on North Lake — factors we measure rather than guess:

Water clarity — North Lake's Secchi reading flips the playbook between clear-water finesse and stained-water reaction baits, and sets the low-light bite window.
Trophic state & depth — nutrient level and max depth set the summer weedline and whether the lake stratifies, which tells you how deep to fish.
Water-body type — natural lake vs. reservoir changes the structure that holds fish.
Species & season — each species' spawn-temperature window and seasonal movements, matched to the lake's estimated water temperature.
Sun & moon — the solunar major/minor periods and dawn/dusk twilight in the calendar below.

The species outlook is a transparent heuristic weighting of these established factors, and it now also factors in today's live conditions — wind, cloud cover, and the barometric (pressure) trend, recomputed for the current day. It's not a validated catch predictor, and water temperature is still an estimate from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading exists. It's the analysis a solunar table can't do, grounded in North Lake's real, measured water quality.

How to read the calendar

Major periods (≈2 hours) are centered on lunar transit (when the moon is highest in the sky) and lunar opposition (when the moon is directly underfoot). These are typically the strongest feeding windows.

Minor periods (≈1 hour) are centered on moonrise and moonset. They're secondary windows that often produce well — especially when they coincide with sunrise or sunset.

Day rating combines moon phase (peak near new and full moons, when lunar gravity is strongest) with the overlap of major periods and the dawn/dusk twilight. A 4–5 star day stacks all three.

At North Lake (lat 42.39°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with 15h 17m of daylight. The shortest is around December 21 with 9h 4m. Plan summer trips around the early-morning bite (around 5:30 AM) and the long evening window before sunset.

Frequently asked questions

What makes this better than a solunar fishing table for North Lake?

A solunar table only uses the moon. The LakeQuality Fishing Forecast adds North Lake's measured water quality — its clear water, trophic state, depth, and water-body type — matched to each species' spawn window and seasonal movements. That measured data drives where the fish hold and which techniques fit this lake's water, then the solunar calendar below adds the sun/moon timing. It's a transparent, multi-factor outlook, not a validated catch guarantee.

What is the best time to fish North Lake today?

Today's solunar calendar for North Lake (lat 42.39, lon -84.01) shows sunrise at 7:59 AM and sunset at 6:40 PM. The strongest fishing windows are around major solunar periods at 10:37 PM–12:37 AM and 11:01 AM–1:01 PM, plus the 30-90 minutes around dawn and dusk.

What does the moon phase mean for fishing North Lake?

Solunar theory holds that fish activity peaks during major periods (when the moon is overhead or directly underfoot) and minor periods (moonrise and moonset). Fish feeding tends to intensify during the days surrounding the new moon and full moon, when lunar gravity is strongest. Today's moon at North Lake is Waxing Gibbous (98% illuminated).

When are the longest and shortest days at North Lake?

At North Lake's latitude (42.39°N), the longest day of the year is around June 21 with about 15h 17m of daylight. The shortest day is around December 21 with about 9h 4m of daylight. Sunrise and sunset shift by roughly 6 hours between solstices.

Are major or minor solunar periods more important?

Major periods (about 2 hours, centered on lunar transit and lunar opposition) are generally considered the strongest feeding windows. Minor periods (about 1 hour, centered on moonrise and moonset) are secondary but still productive — especially when they overlap with sunrise or sunset.

More for North Lake

Where to stay near North Lake

Top-rated places to stay near North Lake

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See the full where-to-stay map for North Lake →

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The species outlook is a transparent, multi-factor heuristic built from North Lake's measured water quality (clarity, trophic state, depth, water-body type) and established species biology, and it now also factors in today's live conditions — wind, cloud cover, and the barometric (pressure) trend, recomputed for the current day. It's not a validated catch predictor, and water temperature is still an estimate from season and latitude unless a recent USGS gauge reading is available. Solunar times use lat/lon and Meeus astronomical formulas, shown in Eastern Time. Always check local regulations and current conditions before fishing.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

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